Siocburthro (Eragon AU)
by hogwarts-is-frozen
Summary: Crossover with Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle novels. Anna and Elsa are thirteen years estranged; Elsa living with the elves in the hopes that they might help her control her unnatural abilities, and Anna, a newly trained Dragon Rider looking to rekindle their relationship. Anna decides to travel to Ellesméra and confront her sister and finally find out what she did wrong.


**I had originally planned for this to be done by the end of Frozen Month for AU week but life kinda got in the way, well that and writer's block :P**

 **Quick notes: If you haven't read the books you shouldn't have trouble following along. The only thing I will mention is that everyone is able to manipulate magic but it is take a lot of training and you must utter the spells in the ancient language. If you have any questions message me and I will edit the story so that it makes more sense :)**

 **This AU is set after the end of the series, a few years after the war. I have used a few terms from the novel's 'ancient language' which are followed by its english translation.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _So how long has it been since you last saw her?_

Anna could feel the dragon's concern through their shared connection, and rubbed the scales on his back affectionately as the pair soared northward, high above the Edda River.

The young Dragon Rider sighed heavily and closed her eyes, allowing the wind to caress her face soothingly as the memories, good and bad, flooded her mind. Memories of laughing in the snow as she and her older sister Elsa, played together as children. Memories of having adventures in the gardens of their childhood home, reading storybooks by the fire, and sneaking sweets before their dinner. And finally, the memory of how it had all changed in a single night, when Anna woke up one morning to find that Elsa no longer liked her.

 _A long time, Reisolus… almost thirteen years._

The admission made her chest ache with emotion, saying it aloud – or rather, in her head – made her realize just how much it still hurt.

Anna felt the dragon's muscles under her legs jump a little in surprise before he hummed his assent. _That_ is _a long time_.

To this day Anna wasn't really sure what had changed, Elsa had simply stopped talking to her, locking herself away in her room and refusing to come out no matter how much Anna begged. And just when Anna had begun to think up ways to coax Elsa out so they could be friends again… she left.

Anna remembered throwing a fit the day the mysterious lady with the pointy ears and tinkling voice showed up at their door to take Elsa away. She had screamed and cried and clung to her older sister, promising to be quieter, to leave her alone, to give her all her toys, just so long as she stayed. In the end, her parents had pried her away and told her it was for the best, Elsa _had_ to go, that it was only temporary, that she would come back. But she didn't.

 _And you haven't spoken in all those years?_ Reisolus asked.

 _Not really._

Although, it wasn't for lack of trying, Anna thought bitterly. That first year she'd written to Elsa every day, telling her about a new dress mama had bought her or what she had been learning in lessons, but mostly about how she couldn't wait for Elsa to come home. She must have written hundreds of letters, but Elsa… Elsa wrote her once a month if she was lucky and even then it was formal and vague. Eventually Anna had grown tired of being the only one who seemed to care about their disintegrating relationship and so the frequency of her letters lessened with each passing year until they ceased altogether. After that, from the ages 12 to 18, Anna had written to her sister all of two times; first, when Reisolus chose her as his Rider, and second, when their parents were lost at sea.

For a few moments Anna was quiet, staring blankly at Reisolus' scales as they rolled beneath her with every lazy thrust of his massive wings. She watched the shifting colours - reds and yellows and the occasional purple – as they danced along his body, losing herself in her thoughts and the countless questions that buzzed inside her skull.

 _Did she ever tell you why she went to live with the elves?_ Reisolus asked sounding both curious and hesitant at the same time. He didn't want to further upset his friend.

Anna sighed again. _She is studying magic. Learning to become a mage I imagine… at least that's what Mama and Papa told me. They were always really cryptic about it. I mean, I know that they were close allies with Queen Arya during the war but why not just have Elsa apprentice with one of the local magicians?_

However, the thing that still baffled Anna the most about the whole thing, was the abrupt way Elsa's attitude towards her had changed. She just couldn't figure out what she had done wrong…

Well, she was going to find out.

 _Maybe she was embarrassed by your hunting skills… I know I am._ He turned his massive head to the side so that she could see the impish look gleaming in his bright green eyes and he opened his mouth slightly, flashing her a toothy grin.

Anna gasped in mock outrage and smacked the dragon's thick neck playfully.

 _Useless reptile._

He snorted and made a huffing noise in the back his throat, laughing at her as only a dragon could.

Xxx

 _"Concentrate. You can do this",_ Elsa hissed under her breath and attempted - yet again - to meditate as her teacher had instructed.

The young woman sat on a small cot in the bedroom of her living quarters, eyes closed and legs folded under her. She willed her breathing to slow and her consciousness to expand so that she was aware of her entire being. First, Elsa focused her attention on the intricate network of muscles that made up her body, carefully tensing and releasing each one in turn until she was completely relaxed. Next, she began the process of clearing her mind, closing herself off from any stray thoughts that tried to wander too close to the surface. As she did so Elsa reached deep inside herself until she found the swirling ball of energy located in the center of her chest that contained her magic… now came the hard part. Taking another steadying breath Elsa willed the ball to stretch, mentally flexing until she felt the magic fill her completely and held it there.

For a few moments Elsa succeeded in keeping her magic in check and felt totally at peace, but then it happened. A memory, foggy and distant, flashed behind her eyelids – a slip, a spark of magic, a fall, an accident – Elsa gasped as guilt, despair, and fear slammed into her with all the force of a horse's kick, knocking the air from her lungs. The interruption caused Elsa to lose her grip on her magic so that it snapped back into place like a bowstring stretched beyond its limit before rebounding away from her. Elsa's eyes sprang open and she doubled over, panting and damp with sweat. When she had regained her composure and calmed her racing heart, Elsa took stock of the room around her.

Snow drifted down slowly from the ceiling and ice fanned out around her at least five feet in each direction before rising up into razor sharp spines that glistened menacingly in the dying light – they were small but no less frightening. A fine layer of frost coated the walls and carpet so that room glittered magnificently, every colour imaginable reflected in the frozen fractals. But Elsa was blind to the beauty of her magic, in her eyes the ice was a curse, not a gift – she only saw the danger it posed, its ability to harm.

Elsa cursed loudly, pushing back the frustrated tears that prickled behind her eyes and the snow fell a little harder. "Why can't I get it right?" Elsa whimpered, head in her hands. "I was doing so well these last few months. I must be stupid to think that I'd actually learned to control it." She took a shuddering breath and looked down at her shaking hands. "It's been thirteen years… maybe I should – maybe I should just give up. Go live in the mountains somewhere far away… alone. So I can be what I am," Elsa swallowed, "without hurting anybody."

Elsa shook the dark thoughts from her mind. Though she knew the elves would never physically prevent her from leaving – Elsa had stayed by choice – she didn't think she could stomach Dellanir's disappointment. The ancient elf had such faith in Elsa and was so patient with her, Elsa could never disrespect her like that.

Elsa closed her eyes and straightened her back, inhaling deeply through her nose. It took a few minutes but eventually she was able to calm herself enough that she could concentrate.

 _Your magic is part of you, Siocburthro, an extension of your being. You must open your heart to it, and your mind will follow._

She held Dellanir's words in her mind – she didn't fully understand them, but they helped ground her nonetheless. Extending her consciousness outward, Elsa reached out with her mind until she was aware of each individual ice crystal and called them back to her. More than once she felt her hold on the ice slipping, but to her relief when she opened her eyes the ice and snow had disappeared. The task had only taken a few seconds, but to Elsa it had felt like hours and left her covered in sweat and drained of energy.

"I should probably stay in for the rest of the night," she muttered to herself as she changed into a clean tunic and breaches. "I don't want to accidentally freeze something… again."

Elsa shuddered as she remembered getting startled by a hawk that flew too close to her head in its pursuit of its prey, resulting in her effectively icing the entire tree bridge that lead to her teacher's home. She'd been horrified when a passing elf had slipped and fell on the slick surface. Elsa had locked herself in her home for a week after the incident.

Just as she finished releasing her braid from its tight bun, draping the plait over her left shoulder, there was a knock at her door.

"You may enter," Elsa called, her chest tightening with anxiety. She didn't like having visitors after a failed session, but it would be impolite not to respond while still awake.

A young female elf stepped into her home, scanning the room until they landed on Elsa sitting at her dressing table, and she smiled. Elsa stood and made her way over to the elf that regarded her with soft violet eyes, which held a look Elsa couldn't put a name to. It made her palms itch.

Elsa touched the first two fingers of her left hand to her lips in greeting. "Kvetha, Alanna." Elsa said speaking first, in recognition that as a human she was of lower rank.

Alanna was the youngest elf in Ellesméra, and the only friend Elsa had made during her time there. The girl had taken a liking to the human girl soon after she'd arrived and was the only elf even remotely close to Elsa's age at the time, despite being five years older.

Due to their essentially endless lifespan, elf children were extremely rare and cherished above all things. There had been no children born during the thirteen years Elsa had lived with the elves, and she had only heard of one other – a male named Dusan who had been chosen as a rider and left to begin his training before Elsa could meet him.

Alanna hurriedly returned Elsa's greeting. "There is someone here to see you, Elsa," she said brushing a strand of dark brown hair behind a pointed ear.

The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees and Elsa felt a weight settle in her belly. "W- what?" she croaked, throat suddenly dry.

"A Shur'tugal (Dragon Rider) has arrived at the forest's edge." The air was sucked from Elsa's lungs. "Why did you never tell me you had a sister."

Xxx

Anna shifted nervously from one foot to the other as she tried to ease the fluttering in her stomach. She had finally finished going through all the appropriate social conventions with the elves; greeting the elders and asking permission to enter their home before revealing her intentions in the ancient language so they would know she wasn't lying.

Queen Arya and her bonded dragon, Fírnen, who had been mate to Saphira Bjartskular (bright scales), had come to meet her shortly after she and Reisolus had landed. The elven leader had welcomed them into their midst, not betraying any hint of recognition, though she hadn't seemed all that surprised when Anna had told her who she was. The Dragon Rider sensed that the elf had somehow known she would come.

Now that all the formalities were over with, it was just matter of waiting for them to fetch her sister.

 _It will be fine, little one. I'm sure she will be happy to see you after so long._ Resiolus reassured, nudging her with his scaly nose.

Anna rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent of wood smoke and a smell that she could only describe as dragon hide. _Thank you._

After a torturous amount of time she finally saw someone walking through the trees towards her, but it wasn't Elsa. It was the elf, Alanna, who had volunteer to get her.

Anna greeted Alanna in the way she'd been taught and grew more anxious at the elf's pained expression.

"Many apologies for your wait, Shur'tugal Anna, but Elsa Siocburthro is not fit to receive visitors," she said flatly.

The Rider jerked back in surprise. _First of all, why did she call Elsa 'frost born,'_ Anna commented to Reisolus, _and second, what did she mean not fit to receive visitors? Is she sick?_

"Did - did you tell her who I was?" Anna asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, Argetlam (silver hand). She does not wish to see you."

Anna felt like she'd been struck, and her shock quickly turned to anger. "Wait, what? What do you mean she doesn't want to see me?" Anna snapped, voice rising in volume. "I am her _sister_! The sister that she has ignored for thirteen years!"

Alanna was beginning to look both nervous and affronted. It was improper to raise your voice to someone while standing in his or her home territory. But Anna didn't care about propriety as she fought against the angry tears gathering behind her eyes. Resiolus shifted uneasily behind her, his tail swishing back and forth in agitation at his Rider's distress.

"I can't believe her," Anna raged to no one in particular. "I am the only family she has left, and she thinks she can just brush me off! I come all this way to see her and she doesn't even have the decency to dismiss me herself!?"

Anna went quiet and her expression turned to steel as she made up her mind. "Fine, if she insists on hiding from me, I will just have go get her myself."

Before Alanna could respond, Anna climbed Reisolus' foreleg and swung herself smoothly into the saddle strapped to his back, holding tightly to a neck spine. The dragon immediately stretched his leathery wings out wide before jumping into the air, talons leaving deep gouges in the earth below.

Once Reisolus cleared the tops of the trees Anna reached across their connection and, uttering the incantation, enacted _Skulblakas ven_. Instantly, her vision was enhanced a hundred fold as she and the dragon saw the world through the same eyes. Everything became infinitely clearer; Anna could see the individual leaves on every tree, a mouse scurrying across the forest floor 200 feet below, and the intricate network of elf dwellings built into the ancient trunks.

Anna quickly scanned each dwelling, switching to heat vision so that she could more easily locate the woman. Humans tended to have much warmer heat signatures compared to elves, she didn't really know why but it probably had something to do with their living so long. At first she didn't find anything, and for a moment she worried that Elsa lived somewhere separately from the elves, but then she caught sight of something that gave her pause. One of the tree-homes seemed to be much cooler than the rest, and inside Anna saw what appeared to be a woman, but alarmingly she gave off no heat whatsoever. If the figure hadn't been pacing back and forth, Anna would have sworn it was made of ice.

Switching back to her normal vision, Anna used Reisolus' sight to zoom in on one of the strange woman's windows. When she finally caught a glimpse of her face, Anna almost fell off Reisolus' back. It may have been thirteen years but she knew those brilliantly blue eyes anywhere, it didn't matter that the last time she'd seen them they'd been a child's.

"There," she whispered.

Xxx

"How could I have been so stupid! Of course she would come, it's been a long time but she is still Anna. And you sent her away, worse than that, you made someone else send her away!"

Elsa was pacing furiously back and forth through her home, enough to wear a tread in the carpet, breathing heavily and raking her fingers through her hair. The room was growing steadily colder and a throbbing pain had rooted itself behind Elsa's eyes.

"You're a coward, a worthless coward! She was all you had left and you drove her away." Elsa choked out a small sob. "She doesn't deserve someone – something – like you…"

The sound of snapping branches and a crash that shook the entire tree snapped Elsa out of her self-loathing long enough to see something extremely large land on the balcony just outside her front door. When she caught sight of two bat-like wings Elsa felt as if the floor beneath her was tilting dangerously to one side, and when the door burst open time seemed to stand still. There, standing red-faced and shaking in her doorway, was her not-so-little sister… Anna

They stayed that way for a long time, neither daring to move, standing frozen in place as they studied one another.

Every time Anna had thought about her older sibling, she'd always pictured her as the eight-year-old version of herself. But this Elsa was much different than the little girl Anna remembered; she was a woman now, tall and slim. A lot about her had changed, but she had the same eyes, and though there was a great deal more of it, her hair remained unaltered - it was still the white-blonde Anna remembered.

"Elsa?" she breathed.

Elsa's chest tightened with emotion at the sight of her of her estranged sister, who had matured from the innocent little girl of her childhood into a lovely young woman. Elsa tried to memorize every inch of the girl in front of her – every freckle, every eyelash, and every strand of copper hair on her head.

Hearing Anna say her name for the first time in thirteen years brought tears to her eyes and a vicious ache to her heart. Anna's voice was sweet and soothing, and Elsa felt herself relax a little at the sound. Elsa fought hard against the urge to run to the girl and embrace her; to hold her tight and never let go. To tell Anna how much she had missed her, how much she loved her, how much she wanted let her back in. But instead, Elsa took a step back as an all-encompassing fear settled over her.

"You shouldn't have come here," Elsa said, her voice small as she took another step back, wrapping her arms around her middle.

When Anna had charged through the door only a few moments ago she'd been furious, slamming the door behind her. Ready to scream at Elsa for being so heartless, and demand an explanation for her appalling behavior, but the second she'd locked eyes with her sibling, Anna felt the angry words die on her tongue. In those moments they had spent simply looking at each other, Anna had watched Elsa's expression go from shock, to something equal parts unbridled joy and intense longing, to panic. Then Elsa had uttered those five words and Anna's fury came roaring back.

"What did I ever do to you?" Anna yelled eyes blazing.

Elsa went still. "What?"

"Well I must have done something awful to have you treat me this way." Anna spat, she had endured Elsa's abuse for thirteen years and she'd finally reached her breaking point. "Did I murder your pet when we were little? Did I hit you? Or was it just simply the fact that I was born? Why do you hate me so much?" she screamed.

Elsa felt like a trapped animal, her eyes darting fearfully from side to side, and when she glanced down, she saw frost crusting around her nails.

"Anna, please," Elsa begged, she could feel her hold on her magic slipping, but Anna would not hear it.

"No, Elsa!" she roared. "You don't get to run away from me this time. Tell me why you feel the need to act like I don't exist! After thirteen years of putting up with your crap, I deserve answers!"

Anna was so furious she didn't notice the older girl's breathing was becoming laboured and her face had twisted with the effort of pushing down the ice. And neither of them noticed the frost forming on Elsa's looking glass.

Outside, Reisolus was shifting restlessly as the skin under his scales prickled ominously. He could hear the sisters' exchange, and though the sound of Anna's pain tore at him, it wasn't the thing that made him so uneasy. The dragon could see a swell of unfamiliar magic rising from Elsa's dwelling, and when he sampled the air it tasted like… cold.

 _Anna I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right, I can sense magic but… its strange. It's like nothing I've ever seen before and it's making my scales itch._

Anna ignored him and took a step forward.

"S- stop," Elsa yelped. "You have to go. It – it's not safe."

"No! Why do you shut me out? Why do you hate me? WHAT DID I DO?!"

Elsa felt as if the world was closing in, pressing down and choking her. Fear, anger, and frustration clung to Elsa like a feral animal and she could feel its claws digging deeper and deeper into her skull. Her pulse pounded in her ears like the steady beat of a war drum and her jaw ached from tensing against the bucking magic within her. It was too much.

Anna continued her advance, her head dizzy with rage, until she felt something crunch underfoot. Looking down at her boots, Anna was shocked to find the floor covered in a thick layer of frost, and it was then that Anna suddenly became aware of the temperature. It felt as though all the warmth had been sucked out of the room, and a bone chilling breeze pulled lightly at her hair and clothing.

"Elsa what…" Anna trailed off as a dawning realization washed over her. A woman with no body heat, strange magic surrounding Elsa's home, _frost born_ … "Elsa – Elsa are you doing this?"

Elsa whimpered as she continued to back away, breathing heavily and squeezing her eyes shut. "Conceal, don't feel. Don't feel. _Don't feel_."

Snow began to slowly drift down from the ceiling.

 _Anna, what is going on?_ Reisolus demanded as he watched rime ice coat Elsa's front door and windows.

 _I – I don't know, I think it's coming from Elsa but it doesn't make sense… she hasn't uttered a single syllable of the ancient language._

Reisolus' disbelief was clear. _What? How can that be? The elves that trained us cannot even do such a thing, nothing this complex anyway, and they have been studying magic for centuries!_

 _I know._ But as Anna watched the ice and snow respond to Elsa's distress she knew with unwavering certainty that it was true.

The wind started to pick up and the once placid snowflakes grew angry. "Gath Verma (bring heat)," Anna muttered, drawing upon her own magic and using it shield herself from the cold.

 _Anna please, I don't like this. Maybe we should leave, and come back once she has calmed down… I don't want you getting hurt._

 _No._ Anna said quickly. _She's my sister, she would never hurt me._

Anna could tell the dragon wasn't mollified but she knew he understood how important this was to her, and would respect her wishes… as long as she wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Elsa?" Anna called softly, as if speaking to a frightened animal. "Elsa calm down, its okay, I'm not afraid."

Elsa's eyes sprang open.

"No, it's not okay, Anna. You don't understand, you _should_ be afraid, you should want to get as far away from me as possible," she said, her tone almost pleading.

"I'm not going anywhere," Anna replied firmly; breathe fogging in the air.

Elsa dragged her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Anna don't you get it!" she snapped. " _I am_ _dangerous_ , that's why mama and papa sent me here! You're not safe around me! I can't control it!"

The snow was falling hard enough now that Anna had to shield her eyes in order to keep her distraught sister in sight.

Anna had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes. "I'm not a child anymore Elsa, and I have magic of my own!" she shouted over the wind. "I'm not as defenseless as you seem to think I am! You need to let go of this idea that you have to protect me all the time, and let me decide for myself whether or not I find you dangerous!"

The older woman seemed to weigh her sister's words carefully, and for a moment Anna thought she had gotten through to her, but it didn't last. Anna watched as Elsa's eyes clouded over with a memory that only served make her more upset. The woman hugged herself tighter and the arctic winds howled a little louder.

"Anna please," Elsa begged. "You think you know, but you don't… "

Anna interrupted her. "I know you made the decision to keep me in the dark all these years, never telling me what was really going on, why you left. I know I spent thirteen years believing my only sister hated me because she'd shut me completely out of her life." Tears were now falling freely down Anna's cheeks as all the pain she'd buried for so long came rushing to the surface. "And I know that I spent every single day trying to figure what'd I done to drive you away, what I had done wrong!"

Elsa had gone stock still in the face of Anna's accusation; eyes wide and mouth open slightly. She had never really put much thought into how all of this had affected Anna. Of course she'd always known that the separation had been hard on the younger girl when they were children but Elsa just assumed that when Anna stopped writing she'd realized Elsa wasn't worth her time and moved on. Apparently she was wrong. _'I suppose I just figured she didn't want anything more to do with me… not that I'd have blamed her. And it would have certainly made things easier - more painful, but easier.'_

Being forced to face the damage she'd done, Elsa felt her shoulders grow heavy with the weight of her guilt.

"I'm sorry, Anna," she said softly.

The only reason Anna was able to hear it was because for some reason the wind and snow had finally lessened.

"I never meant for any of this to happen. It was only supposed to be temporary, but I wasn't strong enough. I'm still not strong enough," she said bitterly and extended her arm out to gesture to the frost encrusted room.

The Rider's expression softened a little. "Elsa you don't have to be afraid anymore. I know you have it in your head that you are going to hurt me or something but I know you would never-"

Elsa shook her head furiously. "Anna you don't understand, I already _have_ hurt you!" she blurted. The admission brought on such an intense wave of shame that Elsa felt bile rise in her throat.

Anna felt Reisolus' alarm jump through their connection and could practically hear his warning growl.

"What?" Anna asked eyeing Elsa warily. "What are you talking about?"

Elsa forced herself to meet her sister's gaze, and took a shuddering breath - she couldn't hold it back any longer.

"You weren't always ignorant of my powers; in fact, you were the one who loved them most of all. One night we were playing and I made it snow for you, it always made you so happy when I used my magic," she said bringing her shaking hands in front of her. "We were playing a game, when I slipped and hit you in the head with my… my…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"You hit me with your powers?" Anna finished for her. Elsa just nodded slowly in response.

"Why don't I remember any of this?" she said searching her memory for any traces of the event but all she found were images of the two of them giggling as they built snowmen in the garden.

"Mama and papa brought you to one of the mages that lived nearby. He helped you, but it required removing every trace of magic from your mind, including memories of it," Elsa explained. "After that, they decided that is was essential for me to learn how properly control my magic. So they turned to the creatures who were the most intimate with the subject of magic for help, the elves."

"When Queen Arya got word of what I could do and what had happened, she agreed to bring me here. Her grandmother, Dellanir, has been training me ever since," Elsa said as her shoulders sagged. "I had hoped that it would only take a year or two to learn how to master my power, and then we could be together again. I swear to you I tried, but they only got stronger and I got more dangerous," she finished sadly, looking utterly defeated.

"Why didn't you tell me later, when I was older? Did you all really not trust me that much?" Anna said sounding so hurt that it caused Elsa to feel physical pain.

"No, no Anna. It was never like that," she said hurriedly. "Mama and papa wanted to tell you but… I wouldn't let them," the blonde admitted, voice catching in her throat.

"What?! Why not?" Anna cried, eyes searching her sister's face for any hint of an answer.

"I couldn't let you see me that way. I was terrified that if you found out before I could control it you would be afraid of me, think I was… a monster," Elsa's voice wavered on the word. "That would have destroyed me." She closed her eyes. "Yet I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. I almost killed you - my little sister… my best friend," she choked out before burying her head in her hands, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

"Elsa I understand you are afraid you're going to hurt me again or that I'll see you as some terrible monster." Elsa winced at that. "But I could never think of you like that. You're my sister, Elsa and… I love you."

Elsa head whipped up and Anna could see the hopefulness shining in her eyes. "Really? You don't- you don't hate me after everything I did?"

This time Anna really did roll her eyes. "Of course not silly." She sobered. "I will be honest, Elsa _I am_ still angry with you. You really hurt me and hurt like that isn't just something you forget," Elsa's face fell. "But…"

Anna's expression turned determined as she took a step closer, then another, then another.

Elsa's eyes grew wide with surprise and she retreated until her back hit the far wall, eyes desperately looking for an escape. When she realized she was trapped, Elsa started to panic in earnest and her magic responded accordingly. Frost bloomed anew beneath her, crawling outward and climbing the walls like crystalline ivy.

"Anna stop, what are you doing?" Elsa pleaded, voice breaking. "You're only going to make it worse."

The younger girl ignored her and the flashes of warning from Reisolus, not slowing her advance in the slightest. If Elsa was going to be stubborn than so was she.

When Elsa realized Anna wasn't going to stop, she flattened herself against the frost-covered bark and screwed her eyes shut tight. Heart in her throat, Elsa braced herself for the inevitable sound of a dragon's howl of anguish at the loss of his Rider, but it never came. Instead, Elsa felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her neck and a weight settle against her. Heart hammering against her ribcage and arms pinned to her chest, Elsa opened her eyes wide to find Anna, very much alive and… hugging her.

"But I'm willing to forgive you and try to start over," Anna said softly, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder.

For a few moments all Elsa could do was stand there, stock-still and unbelieving. Then her walls began to crack until the dam that held her defenses together crumbled away and she sagged into Anna's embrace. As she did so, the winds died away and even the once angry snowflakes slowed until they remained suspended in midair, unable to finish their decent.

The older woman began to weep in earnest, her body collapsing in on itself as she pressed her face into the crook of Anna's neck. She clung to her sister with an almost violent need, hands grabbing fistfuls of her shirt as the sobs tore from her throat.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I'm sorry. So, so, sorry."

"Shhh, I know. I know," Anna soothed, rubbing small circles on Elsa's back.

It was a long time before Elsa calmed, she had stopped crying for the most part with just a small hiccup every now and again, but she had not for one second, loosened her hold on her sister.

Slowly, Anna pulled away, hands still firmly gripping Elsa's forearms - reluctant to break contact for fear this was all just a fevered daydream. "I missed you so much, Elsa," she said voice cracking from disuse and emotion. It felt as though her heart would burst with how much she felt.

Elsa smiled and reached up to cup Anna's face in her hands, brushing away the tears that still lingered on the girl's cheeks with her thumbs. "I missed you too. Every day, every minute… more than you could ever know."

 _I told you it would be fine._ Reisolus said, attempting to sound insufferably smug about it, but it was somewhat overshadowed by his intense feeling of relief.

Anna's smile somehow grew wider and she knew he in turn, could sense the unbridled joy that had settled in her chest. It warmed her in a way she had only ever experienced once before – the day she had watched small red and gold dragon emerge from its freshly hatched egg. _Yes_ , _you did._

Anna gave a little half sob, half laugh and, covering one of Elsa's hands with one of her own, leaned into Elsa's touch, which was surprisingly warm considering her… special talent. In fact, the whole room seemed to be much warmer, and it wasn't just from the spell Anna had cast before. When she glanced behind Elsa, Anna realized that the wall was no longer coated in ice.

"Elsa look," she said grinning and turning slightly to look at the rest of the room. The ice and snow had disappeared and Anna heard Elsa breathe a quiet ' _Oh'_ beside her.

"I knew you could do it," Anna said, resting a hand on the older woman's shoulder. She didn't miss the way Elsa instinctively flinched away from her touch and tried not to taking it to heart, especially when Elsa shot her an apologetic look before hesitantly taking Anna's hand in her own, lacing their fingers together.

"You always did give the warmest hugs," Elsa said affectionately.

Anna felt her cheeks grow hot under Elsa's loving gaze and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She unconsciously used her right hand, which drew Elsa's attention to the gedwëy ignasia it held.

Elsa took the younger girl's free hand and turned it so that she could inspect the soft silver spiral branded into her palm that marked her as a Dragon Rider. "I never told you how proud I was to hear you had been chosen," she said giving Anna's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Really?" Anna said beaming up at her. Although she'd never admit it out loud, Anna had been searching for Elsa's approval all her life, now she had it and more, it was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Elsa looked a little taken aback by Anna's question. "Of course! Dragons are known to be among the most noble and wisest creatures in Alagaësia, it is a great honor to become a Rider."

 _I think I am going to like her._ He said, speaking to both women.

Elsa started as the dragon's deep voice unexpectedly filled her head.

Anna laughed and linked arms with her sister, steering her towards the door. "Come outside, there is someone I'd like you to meet."

* * *

 **End Notes**

 **First of all, thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **So I picked the name Reisolus for Anna's dragon because it translates to _rising sun_ in the ancient language which comes from his colouring. In the books dragons tended to be the same colour as their Rider's magic, and when put to a vote people seemed to think that if Anna were to have magic it would be the colour of a sunset/sunrise. **

**On another note if you are unfamiliar with the books, the elves tend to give people and places titles. main character's dragon was called 'Brightscales', and one of his teachers was referred to as 'The Cripple Who is Whole.' So, I figured that it would be plausible for them to give Elsa her own title as well since she is unique. Which is why I had them call her 'Soicburthro' or 'Frost Born,' which is a title I borrowed from not-JEGlass' fic, For the First Time in Never because it fits and is hella cool.**

 **I also chose Dellanir as Elsa's teacher instead of Arya, even though her parent's ties were to Arya for three reasons: 1. Arya is a queen _and_ a Rider so most likely she wouldn't have time to train Elsa; 2. I found a source that said after she retired from being queen, Dellanir decided to dedicate her time to studying magic. So logically she would be the elf who'd have the most to gain from helping Elsa, and 3. There is nothing out there that indicates Dellanir died after or during the timeline of the books.**

 **I am not planning to continue this AU, but should inspiration strike I may return to it *shrug***


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